Leon Draisaitl is making a charge up the Hart Trophy leaderboard. The 29-year-old Edmonton Oiler has been phenomenal in the first half of the 2024-25 campaign. He's racked up 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 40 games, putting him in a position to earn some hardware for his numbers.
Currently leading the NHL in goals, and second in the league in points only behind Nathan MacKinnon (66 points), Draisaitl might be having the best season of his career. That's saying a lot for someone who's had five seasons with over 100 points. The German superstar is on a 60-goal, 121-point full-season pace. This would surpass his previous career-high goal total of 55 in 2021-22, and be his second-highest point total behind his 128 from the 2022-23 season.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes the 29-year-old Oilers star may be positioning himself as the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy. Here's what he said in his written edition of "32 Thoughts".
"I see a Draisaitl charge for the Hart. Get healthy, Kaprizov. You’ve got a challenger," Friedman said.
Timestamp: Written thought #19
Kirill Kaprizov was a frontrunner for league MVP following his mercurial start to the 2024-25 NHL season. The Russian winger who signed a 5 year, $45,000,000 contract back in 2021 with the Minnesota Wild has already racked up 50 points across 34 games.
However, a lower-body injury has seen him miss the last seven games. The longer he remains out of the Wild lineup, the further his chances of winning the Hart Trophy dwindle.
Making a case for Leon Draisaitl's Hart Trophy ambition
Playing alongside Connor McDavid, the best player in the NHL, Leon Draisaitl can sometimes be underappreciated in his shadow. It's a similar dynamic to the duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Two top five players in the NHL on the same team, with one of those players being the face of the league. It's easy to see that fans may think that Draisaitl's production is because of McDavid. This simply is not the case.
This season he's produced 22 of his 29 goals (75.9%) at even strength, where he and McDavid are usually on separate lines. And while it was a small sample size, Draisaitl took charge in McDavid's three-game injury absence in early November. He put up six points (three goals, three assists) in that stretch showing no signs of slowing down without his running mate.
He certainly is deserving of the Hart Trophy at the midway mark of the 2024-25 season.
Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers continue a four-game road trip on Thursday night against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at PPG Paints Arena.